Warren W. Wiersbe - Be Rich. Gaining the Things that Money Cant Buy

BE RICH

Published by David C. Cook

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David C. Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

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are registered trademarks of Cook Communications Ministries.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; WMS are taken from The New Testament in the Language of the People by Charles B. Williams, 1966 by Edith S. Williams. Used by permission of Moody Press, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; and TLB are taken from The Living Bible, 1971, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60189. Used by permission.

LCCN 2008937432

ISBN 978-1-4347-6732-5

eISBN 978-1-4347-6450-8

1979 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Rich by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Victor Books
in 1979 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 978-0-89693-775-8

The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Susan Vannaman

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: iStockphoto

Second Edition 2009

Dedicated with appreciation

to my predecessors at

The Moody Church, Chicago

Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon

Dr. Alan Redpath

Dr. H. A. Hermansen

Dr. George Sweeting

Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

John 4:38

Contents

: An Introduction to Be Rich by Ken Baugh

1. (Ephesians 1:13)

2. (Ephesians 1:414)

3. (Ephesians 1:1523)

4. (Ephesians 2:110)

5. (Ephesians 2:1122)

6. (Ephesians 3:113)

7. (Ephesians 3:1421)

8. (Ephesians 4:116)

9. (Ephesians 4:1732)

10. (Ephesians 5:117)

11. (Ephesians 5:1833)

12. (Ephesians 6:19)

13. (Ephesians 6:1024)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Rich
by Ken Baugh

Before my wife Susan met me, she was dating a billionaires son. Yes, you read that right: billionaire . So as you can imagine, money was never an issue. In fact, if she had married this guy, she would have been set for life, at least financially. Can you imagine never having to worry about money? Never having to say no to anything, never having to be on a budget? You could buy whatever you wantedsports cars, boats, planes, you name it. If you married into a billionaire family, you would be on the invite list to all the exclusive parties, you would be able to take exotic vacations and travel the world in Learjets and aboard private yachts. It sounds pretty nice, especially if things are tough for you financially.

Thankfullyfor me at leastinstead of marrying a billionaire she married a guy who was at that time a wannabe pastor. When I met her, twenty-three years ago, I had maybe $150 to my name, and I was driving a 1979 Datsun B-210 hatchback with chrome-spoked rims and sheepskin seat covers. I didnt have much. Its true that Susan and I have never had a lot of money, but its also true that we have never been in need of much either. God has always been faithful to provide for our needs above and beyond what we ever imagined.

Over the last twenty years as a pastor I have met a lot of very wealthy people, and if there is one thing I have learned as I have watched the rich and famous from the sidelines, it is that money doesnt buy happiness. Money doesnt bring peace or security. Money is here today and lost in the stock market tomorrow. There is only one source of true wealth, only one means of lasting peace and security, and that is being in Christ. In fact, the Big Idea in Pauls letter to the church in Ephesus is that every Christian is rich in Christ.

In Christ is the most frequently used phrase in the book of Ephesians, and the point is clear: If youre in Christ, you have everything. For example, Christians are saints in Christ (1:1); blessed in Christ (1:3); chosen in Christ (1:4); adopted by Christ (1:5); lavished with love in Christ (1:6); redeemed and forgiven in Christ (1:7); participants in Gods good plan in Christ (1:11); glorified in Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:1213); made alive in Christ (2:56); created in Christ (2:10); brought near to God in Christ (2:13); growing in Christ (2:21); built in Christ (2:22); and sharers in Gods promise in Christ (3:6). Get the picture? Everything in the universe is centered in Christ (1:10).

As a Christian you are in Christ, and being in Christ simply means that you are part of the family of God. Youre so wealthy, it makes a billionaire family seem like paupers.

How this can be true? How is it possible to be in the family of the King of the Universe? That is a great question, and the answer will change how you look at your life forever. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:45 that every Christian is adopted into Gods family. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ ( NIV ). Dont miss this great truth: As a Christian you are an adopted son or daughter of God. That makes you royalty, a prince or princess of the King of the Universe.

In my opinion this is one of the most life-changing truths found in Scripture. In Pauls day an adopted child had all the rights and privileges of a natural born son or daughter. The Roman judicial system recognized an adopted child as a new person. All your debts and obligations from your former life were wiped out. As an adopted child of God, you have a fresh start, a new beginning, a totally new life. Look at what the Bible says about this:

Now we are no longer slaves but Gods own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us. (Gal. 4:7 TLB )

And since we are his children, we will share his treasuresfor all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. (Rom. 8:17 TLB )

You will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children. Now if we are children, then we are heirsheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:1417)

Let me list for you some of the benefits of our inheritance in Jesus Christ as adopted children of God.

The first benefit is that we become part of Gods family, and every other believer becomes our brother and sister. If youre an only child, now you have a ton of siblings and youre not alone any longer. So be nice to those people you go to church with; you are going to be with them for eternity!

The second benefit is that each of us has a unique and intimate relationship with God. You can actually call Him Daddy. Thats what Abba means. God loves you as a daddy. He loves His children, and He wants to provide for you, and comfort and encourage you as your daddy. Dr. Wayne Grudem reminds us that the role that is most intimate, and the role that conveys the highest privileges of fellowship with God for eternity, is his role as our heavenly Father ( Systematic Theology, 739).